A delicious and fail-proof recipe for a Moist Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting which is both tangy and delicious.

My Carrot Cake

I had a friend coming around for afternoon tea today, and whilst my first instinct was to go out and pick up something from the local bakery, I decided instead to turn on the oven.

In running a quick mental analysis on which would require more physical and mental exertion, setting aside an hour or so to bake a cake was by far the easier option than a "quick" trip to the shops with a baby and toddler in tow.

The first cake that came to my mind was a carrot cake, first because it is one of my favourite cakes and, secondly, I could fool myself into believing that it would qualify as a vegetable intake in my toddler's diet.

Carrot Cake Recipe

My favourite carrot cake recipe comes from Bake by Rachel Allen, and the recipe can be found in this previous post for Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I made a few changes on this occasion. Instead of using a loaf pan, I made the cake in a 24 cm (9.5 inch) round springform pan which needed about 60 minutes in the oven to cook.

And instead of a cream-cheese frosting, I made a simple lemon frosting by mixing together about 2 cups of icing sugar (powdered sugar) with just enough lemon juice to make a thick but spreadable icing.

Afternoon tea is served.

Other Carrot Cake Recipes You Might Enjoy

For a classic American-style carrot cake, you can't beat this Carrot Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting.

For a more traditional Swiss-style carrot cake, I recommend this classic recipe for Swiss Carrot Cake from Betty Bossi.

For something the kids will love, you can't beat these Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Print

Moist Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 60 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 8 to 10
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

A delicious and fail-proof recipe for a Moist Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting which is both tangy and delicious.

Instructions

For the Carrot Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
  2. Grease and line a 24 cm (9.5 inch) springform cake pan.
  3. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a KitchenAid, beat together the eggs, oil and sugar until it is pale and thick.
  4. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice. Mix until well combined.
  5. Stir through the carrots, raisins and nuts (if using). The batter will be quite liquid but don't worry about this.
  6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  7. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Lemon Frosting

  1. Mix together the icing sugar (powdered sugar) with just enough lemon juice to make a thick but spreadable icing.

To Decorate

  1. Generously spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
  2. As soon as the top of the cake is spread with icing, quickly decorate with some shop-bought marzipan carrots or chopped walnuts.
  3. Leave the cake for an hour or so to set before serving.

Kitchen Notes

OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer's handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: Serves 8 to 10
  • Calories: 587
  • Sugar: 67.2g
  • Sodium: 215.9mg
  • Fat: 23.9g
  • Carbohydrates: 91.6g
  • Fiber: 3.1g
  • Protein: 5.5g
  • Cholesterol: 37.5mg

Update

This recipe was first published on 28 May 2015. It has been updated with new photos and more recipe notes.